PoetrySociety, Power & Modern Life

Steak and Survival: A Reflection on Comfort and Conflict

By 29 July 2025September 19th, 2026No Comments1 min read
painting of a Black man eating steak and chips in a bombed city.

steak and conflict

A stark poem contrasting the simple comfort of a meal with the brutal reality of war, hunger and survival.


never in my life
would i thought
me running and fighting
for food like manna
dropping from the sky.
you can get shot
you can get stabbed.
all for what?
bread laced with blood.
i’m an architect.

my eyes pricked up,
midway through the podcast,
about to tuck into
steak and chips,
i whispered: لحمد لله
thank you, LORD —
this is it.


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